So you’ve scheduled your first Reiki treatment and you might be feeling nervous about what to expect? I hear you. Perhaps you even went onto YouTube and watched how people conduct a Reiki session. You might have even felt a little weary about them. I’m with you. I sure felt the same. So I figured, maybe it’s time to share what a Reiki session entails, at least what a Reiki session with me is like to make it easier to understand.
What You Can Do Before Your Reiki Session:
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “Do I need to prepare anything before a Reiki session?” To be honest there really isn’t much you need to do beforehand however for those who are super keen and want to make the best of a Reiki session here are just a few things you can do to help.
Be ready to share anything you’d like to address such as heavy emotions, high stress, mental exhaustion, mental health concerns, negative thought patterns, or behaviors that you’d like relief from.
Please briefly share any physical limitations such as injuries, medical conditions, or medical history.
It’s helpful to not eat or drink the following things 12 hours before, and 48 hours after the session: alcohol, red meat, and avoid high volumes of heavily processed sugar items such as eating a full pint of ice cream.
Avoid usage of any sort of recreational drugs.
During The Reiki Session:
First, We Start With Having A Chat
What brings you in today for a Reiki session? What would you like to work on, if there’s anything in particular? This is a great time to reveal any particular focuses you’d like to share, any related medical history or health-related issues, or if you’re undergoing any medical treatments, emotional stress, emotional traumas, mental health-related issues such as anxiety or depression, or any current issues that you’re dealing with, and major stress factors. It could be stress factors related to home, family life, bosses, or colleagues at your workplace, it could be relationship problems or marital issues, it could be related to new changes that you haven’t quite gotten used to yet such as being a new mom or new dad and feeling overwhelmed while caring for your precious newborn, or similarly having brought a new pet home and working out your relationship. Perhaps you started a new job with many ambiguous responsibilities to follow.
Or are you interested in Reiki as an act of self-care and self-love? Or personal development and self-growth, wanting to tap within yourself, your heart, and connect with consciousness in a deeper way? Would you like to be more grounded, clear, balanced, whole, and mindful so you can make better, wiser, and more heart-centered decisions ahead? Perhaps you wish to find your voice, express yourself better and communicate more effectively? Perhaps you’re working on issues around self-worth, self-esteem, loneliness, boundaries, confidence and would like additional support through Reiki.
Alternatively, many people like to come in for an energy clean-up, an energy detox if you will, as we are humans who are constantly absorbing energy every day.
Generally, we detox energies daily, through sleep, working out, and physically in the bathroom but sometimes there could be too much energy to absorb and that body isn’t able to detox in bigger amounts, or alternatively, some people tend to be more energetically sensitive than others so they take a lot more energy on than they can handle which is why energy balancing sessions through Reiki are incredibly helpful. I personally call these “energy maintenance sessions”. Just like changing the oil in your car at your regular Jiffy Lube, regular cleansing energy healing sessions do wonders for your mental, physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual well-being.
For those who are more emotionally sensitive people (also known as empaths), I recommend regular Intuitive Healing sessions for deeper, more specific emotional release.
Regular energy sessions in general help massively with preventing dips in extreme moods (i.e. emotional rollercoasters), burnout, create a better stress management system, and invite positive shifts in perspectives over time, all the while supporting a person’s better well-being holistically. There truly is a long list of benefits of Reiki.
Next, The Energy Scan
Before a Reiki treatment, I like to start with an energy scan around a client’s body from head to toe, back, and front. You can see it as a diagnostic tool before the treatment as it allows me to feel out your energy field and look out for any blockages within the body. From there I’ll know which areas to focus your Reiki treatment on so we can spend more time on them.
Then, The Reiki Treatment
For the actual Reiki treatment, I may ask you to rest on your back, side, or stomach on a massage table. If you are pregnant, are injured, or have any mobility issues where laying in any particular position would be uncomfortable for you, please let me know. Pregnant women will be asked to lay on their sides for safety and optimum comfort for their pre-natal Reiki session.
Ideally, for anyone going into a Reiki session, you’ll want to dress in comfortable clothing though I’ve had plenty of clients come in after work wearing suits too. Please note that you will NEVER need to undress for a Reiki treatment.
I facilitate Reiki treatment with my hands-on areas that need healing on your body. It’s standard practice, though there are some Reiki practitioners who prefer to channel Reiki with a little distance between their hand and your body (it looks like the hands are hovering over the body). I call this the hands-off method. I do tend to use the hover method over any sensitive areas of the body out of respect and comfort. However, if you’re the type of person who does not like physical contact then you can just let me know and we can do hands-off Reiki for your treatment.
For those who are receiving a Distant Reiki session, meaning a remote session, your Reiki session will automatically be done hands-off. And don’t worry, it’s just as effective as an in-person session. I regularly facilitate Distant Reiki sessions for those who live outside of Hong Kong, or are sick and receiving treatment at hospitals or at home such as cancer patients. I often facilitate treatments for those who are stuck in quarantine after their travels as well as a way to support their mental and emotional health.
We will begin with working on areas where energy blockages are present and continue from there, following your energy flow and applying healing energy throughout the body.
What You Can Do During Your Reiki Treatment:
I always tell my clients to go into a Reiki session with the same mindset as going for a massage. You won’t be asked to meditate or think about anything in particular. The best thing you can do is relax as much as possible and enjoy the treatment. During the treatment, you’re welcome to enjoy the quietness, drift into sleep if you wish, or some people like to chat during the session which works too.
After Your Reiki Session:
After your session, Reiki energy will continue to work in your body for up to 48 hours. This means that your body could continue healing and detoxing on its own for up to two days after a Reiki treatment. Isn’t that pretty cool? Therefore it’s best to let the body keep detoxing in a purer state, and by not adding more toxins into it. So as a suggestion, for two days after a Reiki session, I would suggest avoiding the following items:
Alcohol
Red Meat
Caffeine
Heavily processed sugars items
All recreational drugs
Nicotine
I understand that some people feel the need for a cup of coffee in the morning to help them get through the day or have a habit of unwinding with a glass of wine at night after a long day. I totally get it so I’d like to emphasize the list of things above are purely suggestions for optimum energy detoxification after a Reiki session but it’s entirely up to you and some of the items above can be done in moderation if needed.
For example, if you normally drink three cups of coffee in a day, could you cut it down to one or two cups instead just for those 2 days? You’ll always get a firm no from me on alcohol and recreational drugs though. If you’re planning to come in for a Reiki session for your birthday but plan to party and have a few drinks at night, then I would suggest rescheduling it for a few days after the big night of celebrations for better results.
Look Out For Any Changes How You Feel
Notice any changes, any sensations. Are you as reactive towards something as you used to be? How are you feeling emotionally and for how long are you feeling that way? Take a little emotional survey. If you were feeling physical pain, do you still feel it as much? Has that sensation heightened or has it subsided? If so, for how long, or has it continued to subside? If you’ve been mentally drained or creatively blocked before the session, how do you feel now? It’s so helpful to notice any changes big or small after Reiki sessions as it reflects how you physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually responded to the Reiki session. There are people who are less sensitive to their physical or emotional changes but have a simple knowing that they feel different and that’s just as well too.
Follow-Up Reiki Sessions
After our session, I encourage you to let me know how you feel and see if a follow-up Reiki session would be beneficial for you, and if so when. Truthfully, Reiki can be done every day without any harm but it’s probably not necessary and it could become quite an investment for anyone unless that option is available to you, or alternatively, you can learn how to practice Reiki on yourself too. As I mentioned before, Reiki can continue working within a person for up to 48 hours so anywhere between a week or a few weeks before your next follow-up would be pretty standard.
In general, it’s beneficial for anyone to have a Reiki session every 4-6 weeks as a way to do a bigger energy clean-up (as an energy maintenance session). However, if there are sudden transitions in life, unexpected events or difficulties that may cause higher levels of stress and emotions then it would be wiser to meet sooner and on those occasions, I welcome clients to get in touch with me directly so we can discuss the next session in more detail.
Conclusion
So that pretty much sums up what it’s like to have a Reiki session with me, how it works, and what you can do before and after a Reiki session. Again, these are just my best suggestions because lots of people tend to ask how they can make the most out of their sessions, but in actuality, anyone can receive Reiki at any time, under any circumstances.
Most importantly, preparing for a Reiki session or taking care of yourself after a Reiki session shouldn’t create any extra stress in your life. If it does, I’d rather you come in as you are and leave living your usual day-to-day life. Gradually you may decide to make more mindful and purposeful changes in your life and they should feel organic and desirable, not forced.
I hope that helps you better understand what’s behind a Reiki session. My style of Reiki and energy healing practices are generally more practical and straightforward so I like to offer more minimalistic approaches, and alternatively, add a few other suggestions for those who like the extra bells and whistles if necessary.
